Communication devices have evolved to include numerous types of communication capabilities and functionality. For example, handheld devices exist that operate as cellular phones, messaging terminals, Internet devices, while including personal information management (PIM) software and photo-management applications. Consumer-friendly computing technology as also been incorporated into numerous mobile mediums, such as watches and automobiles.
With the increase of portable computing devices, the use of wireless local area networks (wireless access point) has increased dramatically. In particular, wireless access point networks operating under standards promulgated by IEEE 802.11 (alternatively referred to as Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi networks) have widespread use in homes and businesses. These networks are sometimes password protected, to guard against access by unauthorized users. In such cases, the Wi-Fi networks enable an authorized connecting computer to connect to a gateway and access the Internet through a service provider. On closed networks, the Wi-Fi networks provide connecting computers access and use of servers or computers that have shared files and resources.
There are also Wi-Fi networks that provide the public access to gateways and the Internet. These networks are often provided with coffee shops, restaurants, book stores and other businesses (“Hot Spots”) that would like to provide the service for customers. There is also a movement to make portions of entire cities or districts into Wi-Fi zones, where numerous Wi-Fi access points are provided on a given area. Hot zones and other public uses of Wi-Fi networks often provide users with access to the Internet via a common gateway.
In order to connect to a Wi-Fi network, current implementations require a user to open or trigger a programmatic sequence of events on a Wi-Fi enabled device. Under one design, the user can simply attempt to make a Wi-Fi connection, and the device will then attempt to connect to a Wi-Fi network that is identified from a list. If the device cannot find the network, the device will seek to connect to another network on the list. Alternatively, the user can initiate a manual process where he or she selects to scan for Wi-Fi networks. The scan displays what networks are available, and the user can then select to connect to one of the networks based on, for example, signal strength or security parameters. This latter option is often preferable whenever the user has to connect to a network that is different than the network he previously connected to, because it avoids the process where the device attempts to make a connection to a network that is not available.